Whiskey Lullaby
by boooohoo9
Summary: Song fic based on Whiskey Lullaby by Brad Paisley. HP&HG Hermione and Harry are married and not happy with each other. Hermione turns to a friend for help and Harry discovers Hermione in a compromising position. ***Complete***
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter Universe or Whiskey Lullaby by Brad Paisley and Allison Kraus.

A/N: The dividers are meant to be like flashes between scenes. The story is laid out sort of like flashes of somebody's memories of these conversations. I will try and make it clear as to who is present and who is speaking. The format is pretty much like if you were to go into a pensieve and let the memories drift by catching bits and pieces of different memories.

I apologize for anyone who loves Harry, I personally love him as well, but what happens and how he is portrayed is necessary...at least in my eyes...

At this point this is a one-shot, but I may continue…for anybody who has ever heard the song "Whiskey Lullaby" by Brad Paisley and Allison Kraus, you may recognize some bits and pieces of that song…it was originally written as a song-fic but I edited it and posted it here.

**Whiskey Lullaby**

We are the angels; we are here to tell a story of love and heartbreak, of a romance, long standing, between one Hermione Jane Granger and Harry James Potter. Fresh out of Hogwarts, when they were joined, happy and carefree, there was nothing to worry over. There was no evil in the world, their happiness vanquished it.

For six years, their happiness lessened, she in her books, he in his job. They needed escape, and it came, in the form of a Mr. Draco Lucien Malfoy. Witch Weekly's most eligible bachelor for six years running, the wealthiest man alive in the wizarding world, and Society's biggest topic in the gossip mill, all titles given to him, none of which mattered to the bitter man. He was lonely, pining after a lost love in what seemed to be another lifetime, in reality, only a decade had passed. He had learned to love under the tutelage of Hogwart's finest, only to have lost it once more, to his life-long enemy, Harry James Potter.

The opportunity arose several weeks before the couple's anniversary. Harry, an auror, was put on assignment many miles away. He would be away for a month, gone to America, giving her a month of freedom, no fights, no endless nights, no more tears.

She truly loved him, but he was too busy, off saving people, paying attention to the people that needed help, ignoring his own problem, herself. She loved him, but he seemed to pull further back, day by day. But now, he was gone, gone for a month in which she was determined to change her life.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I'm free. I'm free, finally, truly, free."

"Hermione, It's only a month."

"Gin, you don't need to crush my spirits."

"Fine, find a guy, shag, and get it over with. You know Harry's territorial and a terminal cheater. He's only cheated on you, what?, eight times???"

"Ginny, for your information, it was only three times and the first was before we were married. And I _don't_ plan on 'shagging' anybody, as you so eloquently put it."

"Ahh, but you were _engaged_."

"Just stop it."

"Fine, have it your way, Hermione, but trust me, even if you _do_ shag someone, Harry's gonna find out and kill said person."

"Gin?"

"Yes?"

"Drop it."

"Fine, but you'll soon find out that I'm right…"

"Whatever, come on, let's go to Diagon Alley, Flourish and Blotts just recently got remodeled."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Draco Malfoy"

"That man is going to end up killing me." She did not know how true that would eventually be. "Ginny, what am I to do?"

"Well, accept, see what he says, then, go from there…After all, he _is_ Witch Weekly's most eligible bachelor six years in a row, _and_ he's the wealthiest man in the world…and he is single…_single_...besides, you guys dated…didn't you?"

"He dumped me. Ginny, I _loved_ him. I was ready to spend _eternity_ with him. I loved him."

"Yeah, well give him a chance…"

"Fine, I guess I'll go to dinner then."

"Alright! Let's get you ready then…How about that red dress of yours you wore to the Gala last month? No? Then, I know! That pretty pink dress that you got made after your Yule ball dress got destroyed by Ron."

"Hermione, I've missed you so much. It's good to see you again."

"Stop, Malfoy, please don't go there, you know I loved you, but I'm married now."

"Yeah, married and unhappy…"

"Stop, Malfoy, please, lets just be friends and sit down and eat…please?"

"Alright then"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hermione, he did nothing bad. I told you, he's not going to make any moves."

"How are you so sure about that Ginny?"

"I know it; I can feel it, why can't you guys just be _friends_?"

"We can't, Ginny, it's complicated."

"Alright then Mione, you're on your own."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Hermione,

Thank you for allowing me to dine with you last week, I hope that you enjoyed yourself as much as I did. I'd like to have dinner again with you, maybe Saturday, whatever is good for you.

Yours,

Draco L. Malfoy

P.S. I missed you. And I still love you

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hermione, you simply _must_ go again. Can't you see he loves you? Why are you so blind to it? Can't you see?"

"Gin, there is nothing there, I am with Harry, not Dr---Malfoy."

"But tell me, did you love him?"

"Harry? Yes, and I still do…"

"No, I mean Draco."

"We were friends, I was his girlfriend. Ginny, I have to go, I have a meeting."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Draco, I can't do this anymore, I know, I know, you loved me, I loved you, but that was in the past, I can't. Harry is coming back in two weeks and our anniversary is next week. I can't…"

"You don't have to, leave him, he's only making you sad, Hermione."

"Draco…"

"Hermione, I love you, but I will be your friend, if that is what you want."

"Draco, thank you. I love you too, but I…"

"Hush, calm down, Hermione, don't cry. You're safe here."

"Please, can't we be friends?"

"Whatever you want, Hermione, whatever you want. As long as you are happy."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Ginny! Ginny, I can't believe it, I can't believe this, How could this happen to me? How? This isn't supposed to happen…Why? Ginny. Why? I thought he had changed, I thought that he had changed."

"Hermione, baby, calm down, tell me what happened. Is it Draco?"

"N-n-no, not him, no, this didn't happen, it can't have. It's not supposed to happen to me…"

"Hermione! Calm down, tell me what happened. What did Harry do? Shhh"

"He-he-he's ch-cheating on me."

"Are you sure? Hermione, baby."

"I g-got a call f-from a girl, she was l-looking for H-Harry and I t-took a message. She thanked him for have sex last week. He was bloody fucking someone!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure, she called, thanking him for a good fuck and asking for more."

"More?"

"Yeah, more. I can't believe that happened to me, Ginny. He told me he was done, that he loved me and he'd never cheat on me again."

"Hermione, snap out of it. Did you really think he'd changed?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Draco,

It's Ginny, Little Weasleby, whatever. Listen, Hermione is in shambles, Harry apparently cheated on her while he was out on his 'mission'. Their anniversary is today and she's so upset. I've arranged for the two of you to go out for dinner tonight, please, try and cheer her up."

A friend in need,

Ginevra Weasley

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"No, no, no, no, no. I absolutely refuse. No. End of story that's it. I'm _not_ going out to dinner, no."

"Come on, please, it's time for you to finally have some fun and relax. Calm down, He'll be back in a week and everything is going to be tense, please, go hang out with Draco."

"Why should I? Why can't I just stay here and wallow in my misery? It's my anniversary…"

"No, get your butt out of bed and clean yourself up. I'll be back in twenty minutes and I expect you to be clean, and standing in your living room in a bathrobe. Twenty minutes."

"And what, pray tell, are _you_ doing during that twenty minutes?"

"Oh, nothing…shoo, go and clean yourself up."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hello. I'm picking up a dress for a Mr. Draco Malfoy. Yes, the lavender one. Charge it to his account. Thank you."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hermione!" "Get your butt out here and into this dress."

"I'm coming; I'm coming, geez, for Merlin's sake."

"Oh, shut up, get into this dress and then come here so I can put on your makeup."

"Gin? Why am I getting all dressed up just to hang out with Draco?"

"You are going out to dinner with him and he's going to snap you out of this depression of yours."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hermione, you're beautiful."

"Thank you, Draco. You're not too bad either."

"Let's get to dinner shall we?"

"Of course."

"Draco?"

"Yes, Hermione?"

"We're just friends right?"

"Yea, just friends."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Well, I guess I should be heading home, it's late and…"

"Hush, Hermione, let me take you home."

"There's no need for it really, Draco."

"Come on."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Well, here we are, home sweet home."

"I'll see you soon Hermione, bye."

"Stay with me?"

"What?"

"You heard me, Draco. Please?"

"Of course."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_She put him out like the burnin' end of a midnight cigarette  
She broke his heart he spent his whole life tryin' to forget  
We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time  
But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind  
Until the night_

_He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger  
And finally drank away her memory  
Life is short but this time it was bigger  
Than the strength he had to get up off his knees  
We found him with his face down in the pillow  
With a note that said I'll love her till I die  
And when we buried him beneath the willow  
The angels sang a whiskey lullaby _

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hermione! I'm home!"

"Harry?"

"Yea, it's me, Hermione, I couldn't miss our-"

"Harry, Harry, it's not what it looks like. I promise you."

"It's not what what seems? You and Malfoy in bed, what am I _supposed_ to think? Hermione, I trusted you, I _love_ you, how could you betray that?"

That night, Harry stormed out of the house in anger, where he sat in a bar until the early hours of the morning. When he returned home, he was relieved to see that Hermione and Draco had both left. As Harry walked through the house he saw the muggle pistol that was mounted on the wall in the den. As he eyed it in his drunken state, and idea dawned on him as he climbed up and pulled the pistol down, realization dawned on him.

How ironic that the pistol that took down Voldemort, would take down the Boy-Who-Lived as well.


	2. Chapter 2

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"What happened? What happened, Ginny? Harry is g-gone and I'm still here. Th-th-that's not f-f-fair."

"Hermione, calm down, please, don't cry, it's is not your fault. He was distraught, and you know how rash he is…"

"B-b-but Ginny, he p-promised me. I _loved_ him."

"Loved?"

"Ginny, he c-came home last night, for our anniversary. He actually r-remembered it. How could this happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"He came home, Ginny. He came home and I was in bed with Draco Malfoy."

"Hermione…"

"YOU!"

"It was your fault. You sent me out with Draco last night; _you_ set this up so Harry'd kill himself. _You_ knew this was going to happen. You _wanted_ this to happen. You're _JEALOUS_. Don't ever speak to me again Ginevra Weasley. I HATE YOU."

"Hermione…don't,_please_, I didn't know. You needed to be happy. I was _sick_ of your moping around. I'm sorry."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Excuse me, ma'am, but we're closing. Are you going to be able to get home alright?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you alright?"

"N-no, I'm dead. My life is not worth living anymore. I might as well kill myself and end my misery."

"Baby"

"Don't, don't call me that! That was what _he _used to call me."

"Who?"

"You know, savior of the Wizarding World, killer of Voldemort, my stupid, rash, lovable, husband. The guy who killed himself after finding me in bed with his enemy…We weren't even _doing_ anything. He was only helping me, Draco was only _helping_ me. I just needed someone to hold me. I did not know he was coming home so soon, it was our anniversary; I wanted things to be perfect. I wanted to forget. I guess it doesn't work that way…"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In her drunken state, Hermione sold everything in her house, but the pistol that'd taken down first Voldemort, then Harry. She used the money to purchase a modest apartment above the small bar and the rest went towards nursing the pain that Harry's death had caused.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hermione…"

"Go away Draco, I don't want to see you…ever! It's all your fault. How could I be so stupid? I don't deserve to live."

"Hermione, you're drunk."

"NO! GO AWAY!"

"Let me help you…"

"Goodbye Draco."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ginevra,

I hate to say this, but can you help me? Hermione isn't Hermione. I don't know what to do to snap her out of it. She's been drunk since his funeral and you know that was _ages_ ago. I'm afraid, Ginny, my heart lies with one who knows nothing.

Yours,

Draco

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I don't know what to say. I never thought that Hermione, of all people, could lose control of her life like that."

"I spoke to her the other day, she's all out of sorts, nothing like the Hermione we knew, nothing."

"I can't tell you, Draco, what to do. I, myself, don't know either."

"She hates me, Ginny. She hates me!"

"Draco…"

"I can't stand this. I've watched her deteriorate in front of my eyes, and I haven't done anything…What can I do?"

"I'm sorry"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Hermione,

Please. I'm begging you. Talk to me? I love you. I hate to see you suffer like this.

Love,

Draco

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Hermione,

I'm so sorry, I swear I didn't know. I thought it would be good for you. I promise you I'm not nor was I ever jealous. I just want my friend back. Please?

Yours,

Ginny

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Hermione Granger,

If you are not going to answer any of my calls, then please, just give me this one chance and_read_ _this_. I love you, I love you, I love you, _I love you_. I didn't mean to cause any of this. Honestly?, I can't believe myself, I can't believe how a person can go from sitting on top of the world one second, to the bottom the next. I'm sorry. I love you, Hermione Granger. You _are_ loved and needed in this world. _Please_. I've never poured my heart out, in fact, I didn't think I had one. Until now. I _love_ you. Must I say it again?

Respectfully yours,

Draco

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"She hasn't answered any of my letters, and I've been calling her nonstop for the past couple of days."

"What are we to do then?"

"Ginny, do you have a key to her apartment?"

"Yes…Where are you going with this?"

"I hate to do this, barging in on her privacy and the like, but I feel we have no choice. It's been ages since we've seen or heard from Hermione."

"I have a bad feeling about this Draco…"

"I know, but we've no other choice…I haven't seen her at the bar and it's worrying me."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_The rumors flew but nobody know how much she blamed herself  
For years and years she tried to hide the whiskey on her breath  
She finally drank her pain away a little at a time  
But she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind  
Until the night_

_She put that bottle to her head and pulled the trigger  
And finally drank away his memory  
Life is short but this time it was bigger  
Than the strength she had to get up off her knees  
We found her with her face down in the pillow  
Clinging to his picture for dear life  
We laid her next to him beneath the willow  
While the angels sang a whiskey lullaby_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Draco and Ginny met up later that day, outside Hermione's apartment. When they went inside, they could not believe the state her rooms were in. As they traveled through the kitchen and then the study, they realized something. Two letters on her desk confirmed their suspicions.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dearest Draco,

I want to apologize for everything that I've caused you. I'm sorry. I hope that you can see, as I do, that this is the best way. Thank you for your companionship Draco. And know that I love you.

Hermione

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ginny, Ginny, Ginny,

You've been a friend and a sister and I thank you. Go out and find somebody who'll love you. It only seems fitting that I die the way Harry and Voldemort did. I love you and I'll be watching over you.

Goodbye,

Hermione

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

This was a tale of friendship, deception, anger, and ultimately, love. For love triumphs over all. We, the angels, only try to help, but every few decades, a story like this unfolds. Filled with misconceptions and wrong assumptions, we only hope that one may learn from an experience like this.

FIN


End file.
